We Are America

Hi again, everyone. Today I wanted to write about something a little more serious, but I feel like it's a message that everyone needs to hear.

Photo: Greg Ogletree

As you all know, today marks the 14 year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on our great nation. When I woke up this morning (not having class or work I slept in a little) I changed my Facebook profile picture to a photo I took at the WTC memorial and displayed the hashtag #NeverForget like nearly everyone else on social media. You all probably did this, too. Or, at the very least, some form of this. Whether you tweeted #NeverForget or added the 9/11 filter on Snapchat or gathered this morning to pray for our country, we all issued our condolences and thoughts of remembrance.

Right after I changed my picture I realized that we all do this every year as a sign of solidarity, a sign of unity. Then I began to think of the state of our nation; how we were 14 years ago, and how we are today. In many ways we have made enormous strides towards equality, strength, and patriotism, but in many others ways we have regressed. I don't really want this post to be about race, but I do need to address it. Today we are all battling between the #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter movemenet, riots, police brutality, profiling, gang violence, gay marriage, not to mention campaign season getting into full swing.

While each side has their arguments and their pros and cons, I implore you all to stop the talking and arguing, and listen. Open your eyes ears. For every one instance of hate, there are 10 acts of love that go unnoticed. I personally blame the media. I believe they only show the negative and instigate more
hatred. Just look at this picture that was taken during the middle of a protest. This is what the media needs to show more of: love. Yes people make mistakes, yes people say the wrong thing, yes people act out of emotion, but if we truly think about it, are we any better? We all mess up every day in some way or another. To steal a line from my favorite movie speech ever: "We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests." And our common interest, as Americans, should be the betterment of our country through love. All we have is each other. When are we going to stop tearing down what built this country? We had to stand firm against injustice in order to become the United States of America, and if we want to continue to be recognized as the greatest country on Earth then we must stand together again!

As I sat and thought about all these things this morning while posting my photo it hit me that 14 years ago we were still worried about color, but it wasn't about black and white. It wasn't about how we differed from each other. It was about how we were the same, and how we all felt the same sense of being wronged. It was about how we all showed an outpouring of love that rocked our nation. 14 years ago we were all the same color. We were all Red, White, and Blue.


I don't know if you remember where you were and what you were doing when those planes hit, but I do. I don't know if you remember the mass panic no matter where you were in America, but I do. I don't know if you remember the following days and months, but I do. And what I remember about those following days and months was EVERY store running out of flags. I remember streets and houses being lined with the American flag. Row after row, house after house. We bonded together and showed the world that terror would not be tolerated. We showed the world that, even though we had taken a major hit, we would stand strong and not be intimidated. What would our country look like if we did that again? I know everyone screams 'Merica and posts bald eagle memes, but what if we all stood together against hate. What if we united under one banner again and said that we aren't going to tolerate terror, coming from home or abroad.

Photo: Greg Ogletree

Not to forget about what this anniversary is about, I would like to offer prayers and condolences to the families of those lost, as well as a thank you to those who perished while selflessly trying to save others. The casualties of September 11th, 2001 number nearly 3,000. 2,606 in the World Trade Center and surrounding areas, 246 on the four planes, 125 in the Pentagon, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, and 55 military personnel. Overall, citizens from over 90 countries lost their lives in the attack.

Photo: Greg Ogletree

As we go through this day and see the countless posts of remembrance and love, let us also think about today's world and how we can change it. Let's remember that we made this country great and it is up to us to keep it that way. It's time that we unite again. It doesn't matter if you are black, white, democrat, republican, gay, straight, Christian, or atheist; we are all Americans. We are all Red, White, and Blue.